happy new year, y'all

Fun moment in the bar last night: I've not been there for ages, and the barman serving me who I half-recognise says, "you've had a haircut". I grinned. He turned to the till, then came back again. "And you're better-dressed".

Perceptive barman. I'm impressed.

more travelling fun

Waterford: Lived there for 18 years, and I visit my folks and/or brother there
Cork: Lived there for two years, recent work trip
Limerick: Lived there for four years, two recent work trips, various other things
Dublin: Lived there for six years
Wicklow: Worked there for most of a year
Clare: Company head office! Spent a weekend there recently.
Wexford: Drive through it almost every time I visit my folks or brother
Louth: Went to see a play in Dundalk within the last three years
Cavan: Company Christmas party some years ago
Carlow: Company Christmas party. Also, alternative drive-through point for the trip south.
Tipperary: Part of the route to Cork for work trip. Also Limerick, which surprised me.
Laois: Part of the Cork route, also alternate route to Waterford
Kilkenny: Ditto
Kildare: At this point, you can't leave Dublin west/southwest without passing through Kildare
Kerry: Several visits, including a recent one
Galway: Part of the route to the office in Clare
Mayo: Several visits in the last year
Sligo: on the Dublin-Mayo route
Roscommon: on the Dublin-Mayo route
Longford: on the Dublin-Mayo route
Offaly: drove through on the way to Limerick, I think. Or maybe Mayo. Westmeath: Dublin/Mayo route
Meath: Dublin/Cavan route, possibly Dublin/Mayo too. You'd think I'd know this.

and the rest, well, I visited the North on a family trip many years ago, but I've no idea where in the North. That would account for Derry, Tyrone, Antrim, Down, Armagh, and Fermanagh. The remaining Irish counties - Donegal, Leitrim, and Monaghan - I have no idea if I've been in. I should go on a tour, or something.

tech support

just got a call from my folks; the VCR they've had since, er, well, since I was living at home can't cope with dates beyond 2002. The manual says 1988 to 2002. So I told 'em to set it to 1997 to get the day/date correlation working.